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Each match of Gambit will feature hostiles from a faction that is randomly selected, either Cabal, Fallen, Vex, or Scorn.

Smaller enemies, such as Dregs, Thralls and Legionaries will drop one Mote when killed. Higher ranked enemies like Captains and Knights drop three Motes, while certain glowing Yellow-bars drop five, and High-Value Targets can drop up to 15, which is the max amount of Motes a player can carry at once. However, in Gambit Prime, a Collector can pick up more Motes depending on the amount of the specialized armor they wear.

If a player dies while carrying Motes, they do not drop onto the field; those Motes are removed from the game.

Inserting 1-4 Motes in the bank will not create any Blocker, while banking 5-9 will send a Taken Goblin, known as a Small Blocker, to the opponent's side. Banking 10-14 Motes will send a Taken Captain, called a Medium Blocker. Lastly, banking the maximum of 15 Motes at once will send a Taken Knight, also termed as a Large Blocker, and, only available for the Collector in Gambit Prime, banking 20 Motes sends an UltraTaken Phalanx termed as a Giant Blocker. When one or more Blockers is spawned at the Bank due to the actions of the opposing team, the Bank becomes "blocked" and will not accept any Motes until all the Blockers have been slain; once they are all killed, the Bank reactivates and the players can once again bank in their Motes.

For every 25 Motes that a team Banks in, a portal to Invade the other team will open and remain open until a player uses it to Invade the other side. The portal will therefore open when the team's Bank reaches the 25 and 50 Mote totals, as well as at regular timed intervals after the opposing team has summoned their Primeval. When the Invader uses the Invasion Portal, he will be transported to the enemy's battlefield, and spawn in one of three locations on the enemy's field, selected at random (corresponding to their three farming zones). An Invader will then have 30 seconds to kill members of the opposing team, typically prioritizing foes that are carrying large amounts of Motes, to set their team back. An Invader can see the location of the enemy team regardless of distance or obstacles, whereas his enemies can only spot him by normal line-of-sight spotting, although this is facilitated by a distinct red glow. When a player's teammate is invading, it is beneficial to ensure that Blockers active on the opposing team's field, and to continue sending more Blockers over, to prevent the enemy from safely banking in their Motes before your Invader can kill them.

An Invader can pick up Motes on the opponent's battlefield and bring them back to their own Bank, if they return to their own side without dying.

After 75 Motes have been banked, a Primeval will appear along with several Taken units and unique Taken Wizards called Primeval Envoys. When it has been spawned, existing Mote-dropping hostiles will disappear from the battlefield, and Motes can no longer be collected. Any Motes that are carried by a player when the Primeval is spawned will also disappear.

Stacks of buff known has "Primeval Slayer" will be applied players once their Primeval is spawned, which provides them with a damage bonus to the Primeval, depending on how many stacks are active. The first stack is added 30 seconds after the Primeval spawns, with an addition stack added every subsequent 12 seconds. Destroying both the Envoy Wizards will also grant an additional stack as soon as the second Envoy is killed.

When the Primeval has been spawned, Invading the other side serves a somewhat different purpose from the Mote-gathering stage. If the opposing team has summoned a Primeval, if an Invader were to kill one of the opposing players, the Primeval will be healed for approximately 25% of its total health, thus setting back their progress in finishing off their Primeval.

The first team to kill their Primeval wins the round. Each match is a best-of-three; therefore, the first team to win two rounds, wins the match.

Motes of Dark appear as black tetrahedral objects with glowing white outlines; this lends them some resemblance to the mysterious fleet of pyramidal entities frequently shown in association with the Darkness.